Blog 2: "...that every word tell."

"Read," spoke the Archangel Gabriel. "Read ACTIVELY!" wrote Ashley Leyba. Now, Gabriel was a divine messenger so his one word demand certainly carries some weight, but I've always liked specifics.

Reading actively is certainly a learned skill. Marking the reading up, much like we would do with a score, would do wonders for drawing conclusions and making one's research that much more efficient and important. "Do not be a passive consumer of texts," she says. It is certainly important to obtain and retain information, but it is even better to analyze, question, and contemplate on what one has found.

I rather enjoyed the readings of Angell and White. Several things really resonated with me. "It isn't good enough," "I wish it were better." Nothing ever is, is it? There is always more to be done, more improvements to be made. We in the field of music are always working toward the next level. We try and try to improve and we do, but we are never finished. I am reminded of a quote from Pablo Casals: upon someone asking why he still practiced when he was 90 years old, he replied "Because I think I am making progress."

I found the most important piece of information in the foreword by E.B. White was the quoted passage of his professor William Strunk which ended with the phrase "...but that every word tell." This, in a way, recalls the readings we looked at for our last blog assignment, specifically the Barzun, whose central point was that one remains clear in one's writing. "Omit needless words!" said Strunk. The fact that he gives such special attention to the omission of such needless words that muddle the minds of those reading the sentences illustrates the fact that it is an issue with which all prospective researchers and writers struggle. Without this necessary step, many writings would serve to confuse and exhaust the reader, losing them in the swamp of commas and fluff that serve no purpose other than to fill  a page, which is superbly unpleasant to the reader (which I hope I've properly illustrated here). I sometimes struggle with using too many words and sounding like academics more concerned with displaying their armory of big words rather than getting my point across.

The fourth reading by Provost wonderfully illustrates the importance of variance in writing; One must keep the reader engaged. If they are not, they will not read it and without a reader, the writing has little purpose.